A rain garden is a brilliant way to add beauty and
eco-friendly benefits to your garden. The concept is simple - strategically
placed plants help to absorb excess rainwater before it can flow off and dirty our
rivers and streams as storm water run-off.
In its simplest form, a rain garden is a shallow ‘basin’, with
absorbent and free draining soil and vegetation that can withstand occasional
temporary flooding. Rain gardens are designed to imitate the natural water
retention of undeveloped land and to reduce the volume of rainwater running off
into drains from impervious areas and treat low level pollution.
Everyone can help address the impact of climate change
without making major lifestyle changes, and one simple and easy way is by changing
the way you manage your outside space. A rain garden can help to reduce
localised flooding whilst still providing an enjoyable area for the benefit of
both wildlife and you and your friends and family.
Providing rain
gardens is part of a growing desire to have more sustainable drainage systems.
Water is a vital resource for people and wildlife. In the UK we expect to have
enough water to meet our needs - having water readily available is something we
often take for granted.
Just one rain garden can make a small but positive
difference in addressing localised flooding and the quality of the local water
environment. Alongside other sustainable drainage systems and actions to tackle
diffuse pollution, rain gardens can be an effective part of a bigger solution.
First developed in the USA in the 1990s, Rain gardens have
become increasingly popular. Rain gardens aim to absorb all the rainwater that
flows into them. If you are interested in transforming your outdoor space into
a rain garden, you can find a very useful guide here.
Here at Seagrave we supply hardy architectural specimen plants for
people who do not want to pay garden centre prices. Make sure you come to us
for all your garden needs.
